[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 71 (Tuesday, May 22, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5468-S5469]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. BURNS (for himself and Mr. Baucus):
  S. 934. A bill to require the Secretary of the Interior to construct 
the Rocky Boy's North Central Montana Regional Water System in the 
State of Montana, to offer to enter into an agreement with the Chippewa 
Cree Tribe to plan, design, construct, operate, maintain and replace 
the rocky Boy's Rural Water System, and to provide assistance to the 
North Central Montana Regional Water Authority for the planning, 
design, and construction of the noncore system, and for other purposes; 
to the Committee on Indian Affairs.
  Mr. BURNS. Mr. President, I am pleased today to join my colleague 
from Montana, Senator Baucus, in introducing the Rocky Boy's/North 
Central Montana Regional Water System Act of 2001. The purpose of this 
bill is to authorize a regional water delivery system which will serve 
both the Rocky Boy's Reservation and the surrounding region in north 
central Montana. For the last few years I have been working on this 
bill with the members of the Chippewa Cree Tribe, the citizens of the 
six towns affected, and the users of the eight water districts who have 
joined together to bring clean, safe drinking water to their families. 
More than 30,000 people would be serviced by this rural water system.
  This bill is needed now for a number of reasons. First, it will 
provide a means to import water to the Rocky Boy's Reservation for 
drinking and for other everyday needs. Over the last decade, the 
population of the Rocky Boy's Reservation has grown by 40 percent, 
leaving existing water infrastructure insufficient. Secondly, there are

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three small water systems in the region which are currently operating 
out of compliance with the EPA's Surface Water Treatment Rule. Others 
are nearing non-compliance, and one has been issued an administrative 
rule by the Montana Department of Environmental Quality to begin water 
treatment as soon as possible.
  This bill helps us to realize that simply maintaining a small town or 
district's water system can be so expensive and filled with red tape 
that its users can hardly afford it. Under current law even if small 
systems are able to be developed, they must be continually monitored 
and the results reported. That may not be a problem in a larger 
community with a sizeable tax base and a labor pool, but in a rural 
setting those expenses and responsibilities are spread between so few 
people that it can quickly become a major problem. I know rural 
Montana. I can tell you our very smallest towns are hurting. They are 
deeply affected by a lagging agricultural economy, and the inability to 
provide water for any number of reasons could be enough to shut a small 
town down. Is that what we want? I don't think so. One of the ways we 
can address that problem is with the development of regional water 
systems, which are more efficient, and easier to manage.
  I truly believe it is time to stand up and face our commitments to 
Indian Country and rural America head on. This bill is the perfect 
opportunity for that, because it uses the teamwork of committed 
citizens and builds on the system they have developed. This is a very 
good example of cooperation between tribal and non-tribal entities, and 
of what happens when people come to the table ready to find a solution.
  This project has been a long time coming. The State of Montana 
committed to it in 1997 with a promise of $10 million for construction, 
and by providing technical assistance through the Montana Department of 
Environmental Quality. Initial federal assistance followed in the form 
of an appropriation of $300,000 for engineering and planning for fiscal 
year 2000. The report was completed and the preliminary engineering is 
complete. With the passage of the water compact settling the water 
rights between the Chippewa Cree Tribe and Montana, P.L. 106-163 signed 
by President Clinton in 1999, the stage was set for this project to be 
built.
  All the bases have been covered and it is time to authorize this 
project. There is a real need for a less burdensome way to manage the 
water needs of the area. The Rocky Boy's Reservation is in need of an 
expanded water source and system, and smaller water districts and 
municipalities are also struggling to stay in operation. The best way 
to solve both these problems at once is to build an efficient regional 
water system. I propose we do just that and show our commitment to 
rural America.

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